This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL 
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                         ------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Parliament authorizes Government to Declare War, Turkey will 
enter Iraq - Sabah 
Historical Admission - Sabah 
Occupation Begins - Milliyet 
Baghdad looks like Hell - Vatan 
Turkish Military Liaison Officers in Florida and Qatar 
inform Turkey about War - Hurriyet 
Land Operation Starts With Speed - Aksam 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US Starts the War with Speed - Radikal 
Land Operation Starts Earlier than Expected - Zaman 
Stop This War - Yeni Safak 
Disgraceful Attack - Vakit 
World Reacts to the Operation - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
Dunya : Bigger Attack is expected over the weekend 
Finansal Forum: Turkey Opens Air Space 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
War on Iraq: Turkish papers dedicate their reporting almost 
entirely to the war in Iraq. The mass appeal papers 
published an "emergency special edition" right after the 
news broke about the initial bombing.  Today the general 
tone is about the ongoing missile attacks as well as 
speculation as to the reason for the early bombing.  Reports 
claim that CIA-based intelligence reports had revealed the 
locating about Saddam and his aides.  Several papers report 
that the heavy bombardment continues with Cruise missiles, 
while the ground operation has been launched from the south. 
"Milliyet" reports that US troops captured two Iraqi cities 
in the southern port area.  All major Turkish papers are 
filing their stories on the war by using international wire 
service reports to supplement information from their 
correspondents in Baghdad or Kuwait.  "Hurriyet" reports 
that, unlike in the Gulf war, Turkey and the US have lost 
direct contact. In 1991 then-president Bush notified Turkey 
an hour before the war began, but this time Turkish leaders 
learned of the war from Turkish liaison officers in Tampa, 
FL.  Papers also note the ongoing discussions between Turkey 
and the US about the terms and conditions of the overflight 
permission.  "Yeni Safak" blames the government for hurrying 
to pass the resolution from parliament before reaching 
agreement on a related MOU.  Several papers mention that 
Turkey wants to link the use of Turkish airspace with a 
Turkish army incursion into northern Iraq.  The discussion 
about the shape of the MOU continued until early this 
morning, but to no avail.  "Hurriyet" quotes Ankara 
diplomatic sources as saying "Turkey is waiting for certain 
answers from Washington at this point." 
 
 
From the internal standpoint, the overall tone in the press 
is that the AKP government has made an historical mistake 
and has handled the issue very badly.  News reports and many 
editorial comments are questioning the decisions reached by 
policy-makers.  They note that Turkey was `dreaming' by 
believing that the US had no `Plan B' for the war, and that 
Turkey's resistance could prevent the war from occurring. 
"Hurriyet" editor-in-chief Ertugrul Ozkok slams the AKP and 
their advisers as being "completely blind," and notes that 
Turkey will have to pay the negative consequences in the 
years to come.  "Sabah" reports statements by former Foreign 
Minister Yakis, who admitted that they all believed that 
`Plan B' did not exist.  Yakis said "evidently we were wrong 
and made a very serious strategic mistake."  Islamist "Yeni 
Safak" pursues a different tone, calling on the world to 
stop the war.  The front-page banner headline reads 
"illegitimate and unlawful."  Ultra-nationalist "Ortadogu" 
characterizes the war as "a blood feud," and predicts that 
it will last much longer than expected.  Stories in the 
press also highlight the "different priorities" within the 
AKP administration, citing PM Erdogan's visit to a small 
Anatolian city in the midst of war preparations.  In an 
effort to convince the AKP to accept the overflight 
proposal, Tayyip Erdogan told his party members that there 
will not be a `third resolution' in the future.  "When I was 
in Corum (a town in Central Anatolia) I understood that 
nobody cares about Iraq.  They are thinking about the 
poverty they face in everyday life." 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  War on Iraq 
 
 
"Pluses and minuses" 
Sedat Ergin analyzed the current status of US-Turkish 
relations in light of the war on Iraq in mass appeal 
Hurriyet (3/21): "The results of the bargain between 
Turkey's AKP government and the US administration can be 
summed up as follows: 
The most important and valuable gain for Turkey is the 
agreement with the US on the political principles of 
reshaping Iraq.  Most important is the declaration that 
Iraq's resources belong to all peoples of Iraq.  Naming the 
Turkomen as one of Iraq's founding peoples is also a very 
important gain for Turkey. . On the other hand, there is 
still uncertainty about the Turkish army's role in northern 
Iraq.  If Turkey remains persistent on that issue, most 
probably the two sides will reach a consensus in the days 
ahead. . On the economic front, what Turkey received from 
the US seems to be no more than a one-page press release 
issued by the US Embassy in Ankara.  We all knew that 
Washington supports Turkey's economic reform program - that 
is not news. . When it comes to the political losses, it 
would require another full-page commentary.  Due to the fact 
that Washington is now implementing `Plan B' for the Iraq 
operation, there is a serious `crack' in the way Washington 
now sees Ankara.  Just like a crack in a vase, the healing 
will take time and the crack will remain visible even at the 
end. . Given the current picture, we can conclude that 
Turkey's strategic importance has also suffered an erosion. 
Once the war is over, for instance, Incirlik airbase will 
lose its vitality as the US moves to the Middle East." 
 
 
"The wrong calculation" 
Sami Kohen commented in mass appeal Milliyet (3/21): "The 
war on Iraq began in an unusual way.  Evidently, CIA 
intelligence reports led to the conclusion that Saddam and 
his aides could be located and targeted.  However, the 
missiles went to the wrong address and, as we have seen, 
Saddam Hussein went on live television just three hours 
later.  In the event that Saddam had been killed, the war 
may have ended.  It seems that it was an idea endorsed by 
President Bush as well, but it did not succeed.  . The 
current war poses a series of dangers to the international 
community, including the US.  From the military standpoint, 
in addition to the possibility that Saddam will use chemical 
or biological weapons, there are big risks for the US both 
in the growing negative public reaction and the possible 
rise in international terrorism.  From the political point 
of view, the US action is perceived as unilateral, which 
puts the US gradually in a state of alienation and also 
alters existing international balances.  From the economic 
standpoint, the repercussions of the war will be on a global 
scale, and weak economies will be most badly affected." 
 
 
PEARSON